Sunday, February 21, 2016

So, one time, I hopped onto this internet forum. The subject was, "If you could recast your favorite films that have been already made in the past (and are probably not to be messed around with, who would you choose for what part?". No, these people weren't advocating for remakes, they were just "What-if-you-could so and so". So, I turned my ideas to a movie called Brazil, a movie that was released in 1985 and directed by Terry Gilliam. Now, I am NOT advocating for a remake (Honestly, I'm really not)... but eh. It's fun, what can you do. Ok, here goes... (Note: This is a post made just for fun

My dream "Brazil" recast, if I were in charge (Note that I actually have several choices in my head for recasting, way too many to even count, so I'll put my top choices in the corner). ...

For Sam Lowry, I heard that the character of him was originally supposed to be in his late twenties or early thirties in the earlier scripts. Which was pretty interesting to me. Now, in the forum, they picked Ed Norton for him. Me? I wanted someone who was a lot younger looking or actually younger than late 30's early 40's. So, me? I chose Evan Peters as him. He's actually pretty close to the age range that Lowry was in in the earlier parts of the script. I was also thinking in mind the part of Jack Lint for him, but eh. Seems good enough, eh? Fun fact, he was actually born on January 20th, 1987, just two years and 1 month later after the theatrical release of Brazil in the United States (For the UK, it was 2 years (before) and 1 month after the theatrical release) . Holy shit. And when Gilliam was first drafting the script, the dude who played Sam Lowry was just 30 at the time, 1 year older than Peters.

For Jack Lint, I wanted someone who looked like the sorta average everyday person you could walk into the streets with or is a genuinely nice guy (or plays a lot of wholesome, nice guy-ish roles). That way, it could shock the audiences when his true occupation is revealed, as with the case of Michael Palin. So, who did I choose for Jack Lint, in my case? I had difficulty deciding at first, but then it came to me that hey, how about Ben Whishaw? I mean, the dude has pretty damn awesome range, and he certainly doesn't look like the type of person to do the things that Jack Lint does to Sam Lowry in the movie. In the forum, they picked Martin Freeman. That's awesome, but I think my choice could work better. Just my opinion, but hey... Don't criticize me. He could also make a great Sam Lowry, too. He was born on October 14th, 1980, 5 years and 8 months before Brazil came out in the UK. He was 4 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 5 when the movie got released here in America.

For Harry Tuttle, it was tough. Let's face it, the guy who played him in 1985 is Robert De Fuckin' Niro. That guy is a legend, a true damn legend. I had trouble with this recasting. I didn't know whom to pick at first. They picked Woody Harrelson for their (dream) recast, but he should've gotten a break. Several options went through my head at first, but then I decided on, for some strange reason, on Chris Pratt. I mean, he can certainly portray a badass, as evidenced in Jurassic World. And now, I know you might be going, "the fuck? Him?". I mean, there is an aura of wisecrack to Tuttle as well, so it's win-win on both terms, in my world. He was born on June 21st, 1979, just 6 years and 4 months before this movie was made. He was 6 years old when the movie was released here in the United States, but was 5 by the time the film received its UK premiere.

For Jill Layton, I wanted someone who could have great chemistry with my (fan-chosen) lead, Evan Peters. I also wanted someone who could be seen as a "tough as nails" truck driver, but also at the same time the vulnerable damsel that Sam often rescues in his dreams a lot. So, with that in mind, I chose Summer Glau. I mean, come on! She was River Tam in Firefly/Serenity, for crying out loud. She has that crazy-awesome factor to her for sure. I heard that Gilliam had trouble with the actress who played Jill in 1985. For Jill, in the recast forum, they chose Melanie Laurent. Who the fuck is she? I don't know, that's for sure. Glau was born on July 24th, 1981, exactly 4 years and 5 months before the movie's release in the U.S and 4 years and 5 months when the movie was released in the UK. She was 4 at the time of the US release, and 3 at the time of the UK premiere.

For Ida Lowry, it was kind of a challenge. I wanted someone who could effectively play an overbearing mother, or someone who has had experience with plastic surgery before. I mean, Ida does get it in the movie. They chose Helen Mirren for her in the recast forum, and don't get me wrong, she's awesome, but not the type of person I would choose right away. And then, I decided on Jessica Lange. She's awesome, isn't she? I mean, the character of Ida could easily fit in with a season of American Horror Story. See for yourselves. She was born on April 20th, 1949, exactly 36 years and 2 months before the UK premiere, and 36 years and 8 months before the US premiere. She was 35 when the movie received its UK premiere, and 36 by the time it was released over here in the states.

For Spool and Doolskins (If that's how you spell the dude's last name), I decided to play around the idea of having younger actors in the roles. In the recast forum, they had Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as the two guys. They're awesome, but why not add a little youth appeal to the mix. This is why I choose Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as the duo, probably because they remind me a bit of the duo those guys play in 21 Jump Street (Sweet mother of Jesus, that film was friggin' hilarious). Channing Tatum was born on April 26th, 1980, 5 years and 2 months (since April is two months after Feburary) before the movie came out in the UK, and 5 years and 4 months (Since April is 4 months after December) before the movie received its US premiere. He was 4 by the time the movie came out in the UK, and 5 by the time the movie came out here in the United States. Jonah Hill was born on December 20th, 1983, the same month that the movie came out in the US (But 19 days and 2 years before the film's release). In the US, his B-Date was 2 years and 2 months before the movie's release in the UK. He was 2 by the time the movie came out in the US and the UK.

For M. Kurtzmann, I wanted to play around with the idea of having a grumpy boss and what it is like to have one in the workplace. They picked Alfred Molina for the boss, but I wanted someone who could come off as a bit more comical, plus I wanted a little gender-bending, so I went with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Kurtzmann. If you've ever seen Veep, you'll understand what I mean. And look, I know a dude played Kurtzmann in 1985, but since there is a current debate over sexism in Hollywood, I decided to tap into the resolution for that issue with my fan-recasting. She was born on January 13th, 1961, exactly 1 month (afterwards) and 24 years before Brazil came out in the U.S. (For the UK, it was 1 month and 24 years before the premiere). She was 24 years old at the time it was released in the US and the UK.

Look, I know that Brazil is a British movie, but Tuttle and Layton don't necessarily speak with English accents, and for some strange reason all these American actors were my fan-choices for (dream, not real) recasting, (well, except for Ben Whishaw), plus Gilliam is American, not British. He, by the way, was born on November 22nd, 1940, so he was around 44 by the time the movie got its UK release, and 45 by the time the movie received its premiere here in the U.S. (Sorry for all these birth-date facts, I just got carried away).